Dying Makes You Think
by The-Big-Wamp-Rat
Summary: Artemis always seems to have a stroke of luck when it is life-threateningly necessary, but what happens when that luck runs out? And is Holly willing to risk everything to save him? TP spoilers; AU; A/H
1. Chapter 1: Collateral

Disclaimer: The Artemis Fowl novels do not belong to me. All rights are reserved by the original copyright holders.

Author's Note: The story was originally written for a friend who suffered from a near-death experience. After some additional work, I decided to expand the story and post it. Expect 12 chapters in varying length. If you like the story, leave a review. If time permits, I always try to respond. Thanks in advance for your constructive criticism! Please enjoy the story and expect chapter 2, Coming in Waves, to be up next week.

Sincerely,

The BWR

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-Dying Makes You Think-

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Collateral

"No one can save you now, mud boy!" Opal Koboi shrieked as she advanced towards Artemis Fowl. The boy was currently stranded on the final pillar of rock know as Mother Superior, the largest rock of The Nuns coastal formation jutting out of Hook Head Peninsula. Koboi was right behind him.

Artemis took a cursory glance over the rocky cliff, searching for a way out. "Just as a precaution," he thought, "if the cavalry fails to arrive in time." However, Artemis was not one for sicide, so the jump over the side of the rocky pillar was out of the question. "so much for that brilliant idea."

Artemis took a desperate glance at the sky: no shimmering LEP forces, no shuttles loaded with a rescue team, no Butler for any protection. No, Artemis was clearly on his own. When he returned his gaze to his enemy, Opal was standing on the pillar right in front of his own, balls of dark energy crackling in each hand.

"How sad," the pixie cooed in mock sympathy, "little Artemis Fowl stuck out on a rock all by his lonesome. Nothing to save him from a quick and agonizing _death_!" The final word rolled off her tongue with a sickening hiss. "I'll admit, it was a fun chase, Fowl, but your location selection could not have been worse! I mean, how did you expect to escape from this? Dive into the sea and hope the spiky rocks would not skewer you? And you call yourself a genius."

Artemis rolled his eyes, "Honestly, Opal, you must not know me very well," his piercing blue and hazel eyes focusing in on his target, "I never do anything without a reason. But then again, we have never faced. You don't even know that I have beaten you once already." With that, he slipped his hand into his torn Armani pants pocket and pulled out a small laser pointer aiming it carefully at Koboi.

The pixie stopped dead in her tracks momentarily, then doubled over with cackling laughter. "A laser pointer?! That was your grand plan, Fowl?!" Artemis smirked. "It's actually quite handy. With a few modifications, I was able to lengthen the projection, increase the power," he took careful aim at his target, "and enable it to cut through the toughest rock." Opal's eyes went wide with realization as she stared down at her feet to see a solid red beam cutting through the rocky crust at her feet.

It took the laser about 2.3 seconds to cut all the through the rock to the methane gas pocket of the 7th hidden kraken underneath, igniting it instantaneously. Artemis had been monitoring the creature for several years now… without the knowledge of LEP officials of course.

"ARTEMIS FOWL!!" screeched Koboi at the top of her lungs. There was pure death in her eyes as the tiny pixie was flung more than 30 feet in the air. As freefall kicked in, Opal launched herself in midair at the teen stuck on the rocks before her. She was bent on crushing him, beating him to a pulp, and then throwing him over the side of the cliff to a watery death… if the 400 pound piece of kraken shell had not landed on her.

Artemis attempted to roll away from the raining debris, watching in utter amazement as Opal Koboi came down with a sickening crunch under the shell piece. "Her magic should sustain her until LEP retrieval arrives… should." Artemis mused. As he was rising to his feet, his train of thought was only interrupted when he felt a sharp burn in his leg, followed by several more in his chest and right arm. Artemis collapsed heavily onto his back, only raising his head to note the crimson blood now leaking through his tattered clothes.


	2. Chapter 2: Mind over Matter

Disclaimer: Same as before: real credit goes to Eoin Colfer for such a great series.

Author's Note: So I know the chapter came early, but I felt like posting early, so just enjoy it. The story get much darker from here. Let me know what you think, K? The title was changed from Coming in Waves to Mind over Matter because after some revising, the old title didn't fit well anymore. Anyways, enjoy the second chapter of _Dying Makes You Think_, and don't forget to leave a review... if you have time of course! I tried to make this one longer due to the relatively short one next coming next week. Look for You Only Get One Call coming next weekend. Enjoy!

Your's Truely,

The BWR

--

Mind over Matter

Artemis knew instantly what had hit him. The one factor in his plan that had been left up to his reaction time and luck had failed miserably. Artemis had seen enough of the men Butler had taken down to know that he only had a minute or two before he went into shock. He took that minute to analyze his situation. The burning pain and source of new wounds had been the fractions of kraken shell that rained down like deadly shard of glass. Including the broken collarbone he had obtained from the plane crash, he now had five pieces of the shell lodged in his body: one in his left leg just below the knee cap, one in his right arm which was luckily small enough not to pierce the humerus bone, and three in his chest.

From what Artemis could surmise from the tremendous amounts of pain now seeping into his body accompanied with the shortness of breath, he had a punctured lung and a piece of shell lodged in between his third and fourth rib bone. There was another shard that had missed all vital organs, yet had sliced through to his back. There was no mistake; Artemis Fowl was going to die.

Artemis fought off the urge to go into shock as blood slowly seeped from his wounds. "I must… contact someone." Several people came to mind. "Mother and father are out of the question," he thought, "mother is most likely still unconscious and father would quite possibly have a stroke listening to his eldest son die in horrific agony on the other side of a phone." Artemis groaned as he took another breath.

Butler slipped into his mind, "Butler would surely be able to handle it, possibly get here in time to ward off officials. He is a professional. Of course he would never make it in time to save me; the memory would haunt him until the day he too died." Artemis did not want his last action on this earth to be the cause of his good friend's death. "He has suffered one heart attack today. The guilt would kill him," he reasoned. He gritted his teeth against the unpleasant taste of warm blood. Artemis was reminded of a bizarre American film Juliet had made him and the "invaluable" wisdom it provided: "You can swallow a pint of blood before you get sick." How ironic, he thought, that anything Juliet had ever made him watch would ever be useful. Too bad he would never be able to thank her. Artemis let out a soft sigh which he immediately regretted as bone scraped against shell and pain temporarily seized him body.

Artemis slowly pulled himself into a sitting position against a rock. It seemed to make breathing easier. After a second of painful breathing, the Irish teen returned to his list of people to call or not to call. Artemis suppressed a chuckle from his own little Shakespeare joke reference of _Hamlet_. The chuckle would have brought more pain than pleasure. Artemis returned to his task at hand. Perhaps he could call Minerva… no, that too would be cruel. She had been waiting for a phone call from him on a scientific matter pertaining to Schrödinger's equation of quantum mechanics. He did not want the call to be obscured by imminent death or blood loss. The call may even cause Minerva to lose all interest in her scientific study, and Artemis could not in good conscious deprive the scientific community of such a marvelous discovery.

Artemis really did chuckle to himself this time… well, he would have chuckled if he wasn't at that moment vomiting due to swallowing too much of his own blood. Even at a time like this, he was rationalizing a phone call away as to not taint it with illogical mumbling or traumatic hysterics. Any other person would have been breaking down into hysterics by now, but certainly not a Fowl. Another fresh wave of excruciating pain nearly broke Artemis' concentration. So fairy magic would be a welcome relief from the unbelievable pain. Only sheer mental force and a powerful survival instinct kept Artemis conscious.

Then Artemis' mind fell on Holly, possibly the closest thing he had ever had to a real friend… until recently of course. His lie about the Spelltrophy infection had cut her deep, and he doubted if their relationship would ever go back to the way it was… if he survived… which he was sure he wouldn't. Then he paused. "Our relationship," he thought, "that kiss…" It had been his first kiss. It had been such a simple thing, yet had meant so much… at the very least to him. The physical act of the kiss had been simple, but the emotional impact behind it had been pure, wonderful… and devastating. How he wished he could have returned Holly's passion in that kiss. How he wished she was here right now to tell him it was going to be OK. Artemis could feel hot tears running down his grimy face. He couldn't tell if it was from the pain, or the utter sadness he felt.

Artemis subconsciously twisted the rather ostentatious ring on his middle finger to activate the fairy communicator as he pondered the fact that he did not have many friends to contact or think about contacting. "I suppose it comes with being a genius," he surmised. No one enjoys being told they are wrong or their ideas are inaccurate by someone of any age or status, let alone a 15-year-old. In fact, Artemis had published an article on the subject when he was eight under the surname James Buford Waterston II. The article had been published in Psychological Monthly and received praise from several top-notch psychologists. Artemis smiled; not a single one of them had caught the obvious reference to John B. Watson, the father of behaviorism, hidden in the surname.

Artemis' thought process halted. "Good lord," he gasped, "I'm… rambling?" Then Artemis remember he was bleeding to death out on a big rock by himself and decided a little bit of mindless wandering was acceptable… just this once. Only the buzz of vibrations through his hand reminded him he was calling the last person he would ever talk to. Artemis attempted to adjust himself into a more comfortable position against the rock. He gave up when he felt and heard the creaking of his own rib cage. Slowly and with much difficulty and pain, he raised the communicator to his ear.

"Artemis? Artemis, are you there?" Holly's voice. It sounded so wonderful to him. He just wanted to start blabbering, apologizing and thanking her and even maybe telling a joke or two, just for laughs. Artemis liked it when she laughed. A fairy's laugh was so much purer than a human's. He tried to respond to the voice, but the metallic taste of blood temporarily muted him. He spat it out onto the hard rock.

"Holly," he croaked weakly.

"D'Arviet," swore Holly, "And here I thought you were messing with me. That explosion was your doing, wasn't it?" Her tone sounded almost playful. He was happy. She had forgiven him… at least temporarily. But he didn't have time for any of that. "Don't worry, I'm-"

He had no time at all.

"Holly," he interrupted again, this time barely above a whisper, "I am reasonably certain I am dying…"


	3. Chapter 3: Time Stands Still

Disclaimer: copy and paste

Author's Note: So the new chapter came out surprisingly short again this week. I apologize. I had wanted these to be longer without being unnecessarily so, but it seems that short chapters are just the way my brain is thinking. New one will be longer, promise... sorta. I'll do my best so the chapter next The Receiving End week is even better! Thanks again for reading and enjoy Chapter 3!

You pal,

The BWR

Time Stands Still

A long pause. At least it felt long to Artemis. He had been lying on the pillar with his back against a boulder for no more than a minute, but it felt like several hours, each hour punctuated with a new wave of agony.

"What… what did you say?" Holly said, her voice filled with fear. Artemis pondered for a moment if his friend had actually heard him or not. He had spoken rather softly, but the fear in Holly's voice told him that she had in fact heard him.

She didn't wait for a response. "Just h-hang on Artemis. I'll be there in seconds! Just… just hang on, OK?" Her voice cracked at the end.

"Holly… I doubt-"

"I will! Artemis, I'll be there! Just stop talking already!"

"But if you don't," there was so much to say, but he was losing blood at a steady pace and that pace was robbing Artemis of his cognitive thought. So he managed to murmur the one thing he had wanted to say to Holly since their first friendly encounter, "… I'm sorry…" He was sorry for everything: for kidnapping her, for almost costing her a finger when she was trying to save _his_ father, for dragging her through a time portal _twice_, and for practically blackmailing her with his mother's illness.

"I know you're sorry, I forgive you, now shut up and conserve your strength!"

Artemis smiled. Butler would have said that.

"Arty?" Holly voice was audibly shaking. He strained his ear to listen. She only referred to him by his pet name when she was joking with him or when she was unsure about something… like his chance of survival. "It will be alright. I promise I will save you. Just don't die on me! Promise me that!"

Artemis could not help but now feel incredibly sad due to the strain in Holly's voice. The one person he had wanted to talk to, and now he had made her a panicked mess. "Oh Holly," he sighed with great difficulty, "let's not make promises we can't keep." And with that, Artemis slowly lowered his hand from the side of his head, cutting off their communication. He grimaced as his hand came to rest in a pool of his own blood. It was thick and unpleasant.

He knew what Holly was doing right now. He knew that she was rushing as fast as she could to his location which had already been pinpointed by Foaly who must have been listening in on their call. "Perhaps if I can hold out another half minute, I could see her again," Artemis thought. Then again, Artemis' concept of time had been clouded by death. He had no real idea how long half a minute really was. His vision was getting blurry and he had lost feeling in the lower half of his body a full two minutes ago... at least what he thought was two minutes ago. But Artemis' brain was still active, so he sat there on a cold rock in a pool of his own blood and thought about nothing in particular. He merely kept his brain active to ward off death for another minute... he hoped.


	4. Chapter 4: The Receiving End

Disclaimer: Same old, same old.

Author's Note: Hey guys! Though I'd reward you all for following the story with a nice long chapter! Honestly, it's a combination of two, but I liked the way it flowed together. Anyways, some of you may have noticed I'm posting earl this week which I'm sure you don't mind. Truth is, school is really picking up for me now and it is getting harder and harder to find time for this fanfic. So I'm putting this up early because I may not get time this weekend... also I love the reviews. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I would like to have chapter 5 up by Saturday of next week, but that would be in a perfect world... which my life is not. So please enjoy this chapter, send me some tasty reviews (if you get time), and try not to kill me if a chapter does not show up next week!

With love,

The BWR

PS- this chapter has portions in Holly's POV!

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The Receiving End

Everything had been taken care of at Fowl Manor. Butler was recovering from his magically-induced heart attack, Angeline Fowl was peacefully asleep, and the LEP retrieval team had arrived right on time to accompany No. 1 and Jayjay the fuzzy silky sifaka lemur. After seeing her friends off and making sure everything else was top notch at the Fowl Manor, Holly took off in the direction Artemis and Opal had gone.

Holly opened up a 3D video chat with Foaly as soon as she was airborne and flying at a steady altitude. "Foaly, can you give Artemis' exact location?" The image of Foaly's head made big a snorting noise, "Of course I can! Who do you think you're talking to? I could give you the number of hairs on little Artemis' head if you wanted. Go ahead, ask me. I've actually been working on an algorithmic code for sorting and calculating miscellaneous numbers. Foaly's wife really like fiddling with numbers and such so I though it up for our-"

"Just do it! Tell me about your fancy number system later." Holly cut in; a bit tersely one might say.

"My, a little testy are we? Are you that concerned? Coordinates are now marked on your flight navigation computer by the way... and it's not a number _system_." Foaly huffed indignantly. Holly sighed at the now pouting image of her friend in front of her. "Sorry Foaly," Holly replied, "I'm just in a hurry here. I've got a bad feeling." Foaly pout disappeared as he acknowledged his friend's sincerity. "Yes well just get a move on then. I can always show you my _algorithmic number code_ when you get back to HQ."

"Thanks, Foaly."

A few moments of silence.

The silence was unnerving for Holly. Foaly never stopped talking unless he was inventing something ingenious or if he was pondering something potentially humiliating. Holly was sure it had something to do with Artemis. Foaly had been poking fun at the awkward pair before they had left on their time trip. In the present, only ten seconds had passed from the time Artemis and Holly left to the time they rematerialized. For Foaly, that was plenty of time to conjure some ridiculous notion in his head… or was it really that ridiculous?

"So…"

"He's not the fighting tip," Holly blurted out, most unlike her, "If Arty - I mean Artemis was caught by Koboi, she'd tear him apart. I'm sure she blames him for everything that has happened. Most people do." Holly was attempting to defend herself, although she realized a moment too late she was just digging a deeper hole for herself.

"Hmmm," was all Foaly said. Holly frowned. Usually Foaly's 'hmmmm's' either meant something was wrong or he was thinking about something. "What?" asked Holly, but she knew the question.

"What happened this time around on your merry time travel?"

Holly scowled. She did not have time to deal with this. "It... It was nothing. Just one big misunderstanding." She would have looked away from the 3D image if it wasn't directly in front of her. In truth, it had not been any sort of misunderstanding. Holly's unchecked emotions had led her to do something rather rash, revealing feelings she would wished to keep hidden… or not acknowledge. In truth, she thought her emotions would have returned to normal after the time jump back to the present. However, the emotions still remained. Holly just had better control of them now

"Well you are obviously not giving me the whole story, so maybe I'll just call our favorite little mud boy and have a chat."

Holly was about to reply when she noticed a massive cloud in the distance, the same spot where Artemis was supposed to be, "Foaly… What is that?"

It took Foaly seconds to get a satellite over the site. "Oh my… It appears our friend has found… a 7th kraken?! And he just blew up a section of its shell! Well, young Master Fowl certainly just earned himself a spot on the Kraken Watch's top ten most wanted."

"Would that be to congratulate him on finding a 7th or punishment for blowing off a chuck of shell?"

"Maybe both… I'll have to ask him how he came across him… or her. Well, not that it would matter." Foaly's comment was completely unnecessary. The krakens had been sterile ever since the human race began dumping toxins in the ocean. But the centaur did like to hear himself talk.

Holly smiled when a small buzzing sounded in her ear. It was the communicator she had given to Artemis. "Why don't you ask him now," she said to the centaur as she opened the line. Secretly, Holly was thrilled to hear from Artemis… not that she would ever tell Foaly.

"Artemis, are you OK? Where's Koboi?"

No response.

"Artemis? Artemis, are you there?" Holly was slightly troubled by the delayed response.

Suddenly, on the other end, "Holly…"

"D'Arviet," swore Holly not even noticing the immense pain in his voice, "And here I thought you were messing with me. That explosion was your doing, wasn't it?" Holly caught her playful tone and composed herself. She was slightly embarrassed that Artemis managed to have that effect on her. This was a mission; no time for fun and games "Don't worry, I'm-"

"Holly," he interrupted. Instantly she knew something was wrong. There was a strange quiver in her friend's voice. He never sounded like that. His voice never quivered. Then a painful murmur on the other end, "I am reasonably certain I am dying…"

All sound suddenly evaporated.

The sentence hit Holly like a tidal wave. She suddenly felt out of breath. She felt panic creeping in. She began to wonder if she heard him properly. Dying? Certainly not. She wanted to say something smart, something helpful that would portray her as still in control of herself. However, all she managed was a small and simple, "What?" The repetition just made her look like an idiot, "What did you say?"

Two seconds later, her soldier side kicked in. "Help. I have to help," she thought. First rule in the field was to keep an injured comrade focused. A lax mind could easily slip into shock which could in turn lead to Spontaneous Magical Discharge (SMD). Julius had told her that. She didn't wait for a response on the other end. "Just h-hang on Artemis," Holly found it incredibly difficult to steady her voice, "I'll be there in seconds! Just… just hang on, OK?" Her voice cracked at the end. Was this really happening? Artemis had lied before, but surely he wouldn't lie about this, not something so emotionally damaging… would he? "I can be there in 20 seconds if I burn the emergency thrusters on the wings.

Then the pained voice again. "Holly… I doubt-"

"I will! Artemis, I'll be there! Just stop talking already!" Holly focused on reaching her destination, on getting Artemis to focus, but she stop the tears now stinging her eyes.

"But if you don't…" Holly already knew what he was going to say, and it made it that much more painful, "I'm sorry…" That was it. He was dying from Frond knows what, alone, and he was feeling guilty about the lie he had told. Now she felt guilty. She knew she had been in the right for being angry. He had lied to her, betrayed her trust and friendship. She had a right to be angry. And now she hated herself for it.

"I know you're sorry, I forgive you, now shut up and conserve your strength!"

Silence.

"Arty?" Holly could feel the hot tears pouring down her cheeks now. She could feel the water pooling in her helmet. "It will be alright." A lie. "I promise I will save you." Another lie. "Don't die on me! Promise me that!"

She could hear the ragged breath coming from the other end. It was so sorrowful, so sad. "Oh Holly," Artemis sighed with great difficulty, "Let's not make promises we can't keep." A soft groan and then the line went dead.

Holly choked down several mouthfuls of air and blinked the water from her eyes, then realized she was pushing her wings to their limit. The clean, nuclear battery that shouldn't need a change for another 57 years was flashing red. Foaly was screaming in her ear… Foaly!

The centaur had been desperately trying to reach her for the past half minute. "Holly! Slow down! You're going to fry yourself, the wings can't take it!"

But Holly couldn't slow down, not now. "Foaly," she managed to speak. Her voice was hoarse. "I need a retrieval team-"

"Already on their way."

"Advanced medical unit?"

"Of course."

"Thank you; I'll be in touch."

And with that Holly, holly ended the communication. The giant plume of smoke and debris loomed in front of her. She plunged head first through the cloud, all the while assuring herself. They had been through worse, right? Surely things would not end like this, not like this. Artemis always had a plan, and if the plan did not work there was a contingency plan. But if that was the case, why did he sound so hopeless? Holly pushed all other thoughts from her mind other than one: saving Artemis Fowl.


	5. Chapter 5: Angel of Death

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Author's Note: So another update early this week! I'm doing this solely because I will be busy Friday and Saturday this week, and I did not want to update late. So instead of a day late, Chapter 5 goes up a day early! Hooray! Oh and as a little side note, I originally said this story would be a 12 chapter sort of thing, but I think it is going to be a wee bit shorter than that. Sorry! Anyways, enjoy and I look forward to hearing back from all of you later!

Your friend,

The BWR

--

Angel of Death

Artemis had been trying to run through the periodic table while he waited for Holly. However, his deteriorating thought process was making it incredibly difficult. Hydrogen reminded him of Holly, Bromine reminded him of Butler, Astatine reminded him of his parents Angelina and Artemis Senior, and Gold reminded him of a life that could have been better spent.

He wanted to close his eyes, but he knew if he did that the coma would set in and he would surely die… well die faster. He wanted to at least say goodbye to Holly; maybe have her deliver a message to his parents, and Butler, and the twins. How he would miss being an older brother. It was nice to have Miles and Beckett around. They always seemed to lighten his mood. In a way, they had made him a better person… in a way.

Artemis' eyes roamed. He saw the disembodied head of Professor Primate, his decoy lemur used to fool Opal. He wished he could apologize to Myles in person. "Maybe Foaly can make a new one for him," thought Artemis. Sudden nausea and agony racked his broken body as he turned to gaze skyward. He would miss this world and all the people in it: mother, father, Butler, the twins, Foaly, Minerva, Mulch… Holly.

Artemis was positive that he did love Holly Short. He had been aware of it for some time now. However, a relationship stronger than friendship was impossible. There was the species difference, the age and life span difference… and the 'love' difference. Artemis had no idea how Holly really felt about him. There may have been something at some point, but after his lie there was no conceivable way Holly could ever… love him again. Not to mention it is very difficult to maintain any sort of relationship with anyone after death. "Shame…" was all he could say. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Artemis saw a streak punching through the still lingering smoke toward him. "An angel? No, don't be stupid. You're not that firm of a believer." He smiled at his own determination not to be made a fool, even by death.

The tiny figure drew closer with incredible speed. The figure appeared to resemble more of a child than an angel. In fact, the child was fully clad in LEP recon gear. Artemis knew who it was. He felt an inch of hope creep into his body. Holly skidded onto the rocky surface of the pillar, helmet flying off as she landed. She darted towards his body, slowing as she saw the horrifying sight before her. Artemis smiled weakly as he lay with his back against a large rock covered in blood and clothing torn.

Holly knew the situation would be bad, but she had not been expecting this. From the time she had received the call from Artemis to the time she had touched down on the rock, only two minutes had passed, and yet Artemis' speech was deteriorating. He had lost far too much blood. If there was any left in his body, it would be a miracle in and of itself. His face was incredibly pale, paler than usual. There didn't seem to be a single spot on his body that was not covered in either dirt or blood.

"H-holly. Didn't think y-y-you'd make… it." he coughed blood.

"Told you I would," she said, sinking to his side, hands hovering over the wounds knowing full well with dread that she could not heal him. Wounds inflicted by a kraken could not be healed by magic. The krakens' magic was so old and so powerful that in instances with direct contact with any other magical source, the krakens' magic literally absorbed the other magical sparks. It was like a whale swallowing plankton. Artemis slowly reached up with what little strength he had left, wiping some tears from her cheek and replacing them with his blood.

"Sorry," he wheezed, "trying t-t-t-to… stop… tears."

As his hand slipped, Holly grabbed and held it in her hand. "Arty… Come on, stay with me. I can't do anything now, but LEP medical personnel are on the way. They can help you, but you have to stay with me. OK?" She tried to sound reassuring just as much for her sake as Artemis'.

Artemis did not respond, just stared straight ahead.

"Artemis…?"

His eyes suddenly switched towards her, his hazel one staring into her blue, "That's not true." He managed to speak with surprising force.

"Wh-what?" Holly asked meekly.

Artemis chose his words carefully. His brain would no longer function correctly. He had to concentrate on what he wanted to say, "You have… done _so_ much…for me. I never… d-d-did enough for you. Holly-"

"Don't say it!" Holly cut him off. "I know you're sorry, I forgive you! I'll always forgive you no matter what you do. Help is on the way, you're not going to die here. You _can't_ die here because…" Holly held onto Artemis' hand firmly. Even now she could feel the warmth fading from her grasp. Holly stared up at the sky praying to see the shimmer of a cloaked LEP shuttle. "You can't die because…"

"I love you," Artemis said weakly. Holly jerked her head back to Artemis so fast she heard her neck give a little pop. Artemis was smiling up at her, an incredibly happy smile. Holly couldn't help but smile back, small tear drops diluting the blood on the ground. Then his hand limply slipped from her face into the pool of blood still coating the rocky surface. Holly's smile slowly faded along with the light from Artemis' eyes. His body lazily slid from the boulder into Holly's, a contrast of cold and warmth. After the last twinkle of light had left his crystal blue and dark hazel eyes, Artemis Fowl died in Holly Short's arms.

Fin.

--

Secondary Author's Note: Well, this is something new. An author's note at the end? That is strange. So, what did you all think? Totally sad and depressing ending, right? GET REAL! Like I would end it like that! Sorry, I just couldn't resist a little joke. Look for chapter 6 'Til Death Do Us Part coming sometime at the end of next week. Until then, please try to find it in your hearts not to kill me for playing a little joke!


	6. Chapter 6: Til Death Do Us Part

Disclaimer: copy and paste

Author's Note: Well, now that we are all nice and recovered after last week's terrible joke, here is chapter 6! Speaking of chapters, some of you may have noticed that the chapters tab for this story has changed slightly. If you are curious as to why a change was made or what the change was, I merged chapters 2 and 2.5. It didn't make much sense to leave them apart and I was getting really tired of seeing an e-mail saying, "Chapter: 6 /Chapter Title: Chapter 5 ect." So now it is a bit more comprehensible in the chapters tab! Well, that's it for now. The real chapter 7 It Takes Two will be up sometime next week... or this week. I believe I may just start adding chapters once they are finished now. I don't know if I like waiting a whole week to update. Only time will tell!

Your friend,

The BWR

--

'Til Death Do Us Part

"A-Arty?" Holly knew there would be no response.

"Arty?!" She held the broken body closer to her. "Artemis!!" Holly sobbed. She hugged him tightly despite the blood and dirt. She held him as if his body would leave her too if she let go.

"You just… you just had to have the last word, didn't you? That's just like you," Holly sobbed. Tears fell onto the corpse of her friend, but he was more than that. He had said it, he did love her, but then he selfishly moved on before she could do the same. Holly gently lay the body on the slick ground, careful not to lay it on any sharp rocks or other protrusions.

"This isn't right at all," she murmured through sobs holding her head between her hands, "I was supposed to save you! Your plans have always worked out before. You never would have just sacrificed yourself without some sort of contingency plan, right?!" Holly frantically looked around the battered surface of Mother Superior. She knew she was grasping at straws, but she had to do _something_, anything to get him back. Artemis would have left something, right? Maybe a clue to the next phase of the plan. Perhaps she would have to travel back in time and leave something of use on the rock for Artemis… but what, and where?!

Realization hit Holly like a punch to the gut that physically dropped her to her knees. "But there isn't anything I can do, is there?" She spoke softly like what she was saying was a guarded secret only for her to know. "If I had gone back in time to leave something for you, it would have already been here, right?" She slowly turned her head to where Artemis' still form lay. "That's what you believed, isn't it?" Holly could vividly remember Artemis' argument for traveling back in time when both she and Foaly had opposed it: _"I believe, as Gorben and Berndt did, that any repercussions are already being felt. We can only change the future, not the past or present. If I go back, then I have already been back."_ It had been Artemis' argument right before he had accused Holly of dooming his mother. It was an incredibly painful memory, but the flashback still brought a small smile to her face. She could still remember his voice. The first thing a person forgets about the dead is how they sound.

Holly kept her gaze locked on her friend's broken form as if expecting to hear his voice now, but she knew she would receive no response. However, talking seemed to help center Holly, to keep her in a stable state of mind. It had been the same with the death of her mother and Commander Root. When her mother had passed, she had talked to herself. When Julius had been murdered, she talked to Foaly. She glanced around the deathly quiet plateau. There was no one to talk to now.

Suddenly, a short buzzing noise drew Holly's attention away from her thoughts. She desperately ran to the origin of the noise in a small pile of rubble. Holly could feel hope creeping into her body although the chances of that hope ever truly manifesting into something real was slim to none. The buzzing noise was emanating from her helmet which had been discarded when she had landed. The fairy captain plucked the communicator from the helmet and held it up to her ear, "Captain Short speaking."

"Holly? This is Trouble. What's going on down there? We can't get any visuals because of the blasted smoke. What's the status report?" The voice was so professional. Commander Kelp always did his best to sound serious, to portray the same level of reliability and respect Commander Root had commanded. Of course, Trouble Kelp was not Julius Root, but he had heart. Holly liked that. She took a second to compose herself. She had to be professional as well.

"Minor damage to the surrounding environment, yet not sufficient enough to impede a shuttle landing. The local authorities have not yet arrived. One casualty… Human male, approximately 15 years of age."

"How bad?"

"He's... already gone... sir."

There was a pause on the other end. Holly knew that the thought was a tough one for any fairy who knew Artemis to accept. Now Trouble Kelp, LEP commander, was doing his best to deal with it.

"Artemis… is dead?"

The only response Holly could manage was a small hiccup. So much for professional composure.

"D'Arviet… OK, we'll be there momentarily, ETA one minute… Someone will have to notify his guardian… but his parents cannot know the causes."

"I can inform Butler, sir."

"Good. Is Koboi contained?"

The thought to check Koboi had not even crossed Holly's mind. A small cough followed by a cackle drew her attention. "Finally dead, eh? Certainly took him long enough." Opal Koboi's upper torso along with one arm stuck out from under the massive rock. Holly could see small blue sparks move lazily under the rock as the pixie's body attempted to constantly repair the shattered bones underneath.

"Captain! What is the pixie's condition?"

"Hang on, sir," Holly's voice was level, but it overflowed with hatred, "I'll go check."

Trouble knew from that instant it was a very bad idea to let the captain near their convict, but from his position, he was not capable of much more than shouting orders, "Captain, I order you not the harm that fairy! That's a direct order! Do you hear me, Holly?! Don't do anything-"

Holly had already ended the communication by the time she reached Koboi. The pixie just stared up at her, maniacal grin plastered on her grimy face. "You know, I was really quite surprised. You think a mud boy would bleed out faster."

Holly ground her teeth. She was doing everything in her power right now to keep herself from killing the infuriating pixie. Every fiber of her being was tense.

"Poor Holly, never to find happiness, not with little Arty anyway."

Magic wouldn't work. That would be too easy. She needed something a bit more physical, something that could really drive the point home.

"Oh look at you now. All red and teary-eyed! I bet you _really _want to hurt me. Maybe even kill me! But I know you can't do a thing!"

"Yeah? And why is that?" Holly's voice was completely monotone. If Opal had been paying more attention to the captain's mood and less attention to her own words, she might have realized how much danger she was in.

"You can't touch me! Anything that happens to me now could disrupt the past. The best and only course of action you can take is to merely send me back to my own time which I'm sure the _brave and intelligent_ LEP will do when they arrive." Her voice oozed sarcasm.

"You're quite the smart one, Opal."

"Ha! Even a goblin could deduce that, you moron! I am the smartest fairy to ever live. But I'm more interested in how you're feeling, Holly." Holly felt as though she was going to gag. The mock sympathy in Koboi's voice was disgusting. "How do you feel about the fact that Artemis is dead? How do you feel about the fact that the LEP are merely going to send me back in time with no repercussions and there is nothing you can-"

Opal's little gloat was cut short by an LEP-issue combat boot slamming into her face. Holly didn't enjoy the physical act of kicking with all her might. She didn't even really enjoy the feeling of Opal's nose crunching under her heavy kick. She did, however, enjoy the look of shock and utter disbelief that covered the pixie's now bloody facial features.

"Wha-? You can't! The time-"

The pixie's stammering was cut short yet again as Holly's gloved fist knocked her face into the hard rock. Opal raised her head again somewhat slower this time. "You… can't…"

Holly just barely registered the missing teeth in Opal's mouth as her next kick knocked the pixie's head back into the weight holding her down. Holly refrained from a fourth attack as Koboi slipped into unconsciousness. "I'm not allowed to kill you," Holly scowled, "but I'm sure a fairy of your magical capabilities is quite able to repair _minor_ facial fractions."

Holly stood over Opal's unconscious form as blood from the pixie's fresh wounds leaked slowly onto the rock surface. "Hm. Perhaps she can't spare any magic for these new bruises," she surmised. Koboi must have been using quite a bit of magic for her stuck lower half, so it was no real surprise that she was low. Holly contemplated healing the pixie for a moment, but then decided against it when she remembered Artemis.

Slowly, Holly made her way back to the corpse of her friend. Gently, she repositioned his body: head resting neatly on a flat rock slab, hands placed on the center of his chest, and legs straightened. Holly could feel new tears leaking from her red eyes as she gazed at his peaceful expression. "I'm… so sorry, Artemis. Even… even when I have the perfect chance… I can't avenge you." Small tears fell onto Artemis' pale face causing the blood to run down his cheeks. Holly sniffed as she cleaned some of the blood off and brushed his blood-caked hair back from his face. She held her hand on his hand and brought her lips to his forehead. "'Til death do us part," she half-chuckled, half-sobbed. It was such a strange line for human wedding vows.

Then... a green spark.


	7. Chapter 7: It Takes Two

Author's Note: So here we are once again with another fun and interesting chapter! And it is early too! How lovely. To be honest, this might be my least favorite chapter so far. I don't think it came out exactly the way I wanted it to, so please don't be too harsh in your reviews! Anyways, I can now comfortably say that we are approaching the end of the story. I'm predicting only two more chapters! Exciting huh? And so, without further a due, I present Chapter 7 of _Dying Makes You Think_. Look for Chapter 8 in the immediate future!

Truly yours,

The BWR

--

It Takes Two

Holly almost jumped at the site of the green spark. As an instinctive reflex, she jerked away from Artemis' body. As Holly kept her distance, the green spark winked once, and then disappeared. "Did… did I do that?" Holly wondered aloud. Holly had seen many things during her time in service, but never had she seen _green_ magic. The only known fairy in existence with an abnormal magical signature was No. 1, and that was contributed to the fact that the little demon was a magical powerhouse. Holly stared at her hands, then at the body before her, then back to her hands. Slowly she inched herself back to Artemis' side. Hesitantly, Holly placed her hands on his.

As soon as both of Holly's hands came to rest on Artemis', green sparks burst from her fingertips. Holly watched in utter amazement as the sparks began covering Artemis' body seemingly on their own. The brilliant green crystals were not repairing his body, but rather encasing him in a crystal green cocoon. The magic oozed around his chest and down his torso. They curled around his feet and inched their way up his neck. The sparks seemed endless, encompassing the teen's entire body. All Holly could do was watch in utter fascination. All the dread, guilt, and sadness that had been accumulating in her body since Artemis had contacted her were now replaced with hope. She could feel an uneasy smile forming on her tear-stained face. What was this power? Could it save Artemis? Was she really going to be able to hear his voice again? Perhaps even… feel his touch?

Holly's happy thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sharp pain in her chest. The pain was crippling, and forced her to hunch over. She would have pulled her hands back to hold herself, but she found them rooted in place on Artemis' chest. She could not free herself. The hope that Holly had been clinging to now slowly gave way to fear as realization struck. This new magic, this green magic… it was not just consuming all of her magical energy, it was consuming her life force as well! Holly couldn't breathe. Her bones ached and her head hurt. She could feel her body growing colder as the heat was sucked right from her very soul. What was this? What in Frond's name was going on?! "This… this couldn't… have been Artemis' trick… could it?" Holly wheezed. Could his contingency plan really have been to absorb the life force of his friend? She felt dizzy. She was losing consciousness. If she passed out here, Holly Short would most certainly die.

Suddenly, Holly felt warmth creeping back into her hands, bringing her back to full alertness. As her eyes darted down, she could clearly see the emerald sparks now encasing her forearms. Any pain she had felt in her arms suddenly dissipated. However, Holly's instinct told her to resist. She had no idea what this energy was. Already it had nearly killed her and caused her to question the motives of one of her closest friends.

_Do not resist, my child._

"What?" Holly said aloud. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice. But there was no one else on the plateau save herself, Artemis, and a still very unconscious Koboi. The voice had sounded very close… and very familiar. She had certainly heard it before, but from whom? Holly pushed it from her mind and returned to impeding the sparks progress.

_Holly, do not fear it. Do not reject it. _

Again, that voice. "Where are you?!" She shouted, "Show yourself!" The crystal wave of light had now inched its way up to Holly's shoulders and was now cascading down her chest. In truth, the energy felt… nice. The magical sparks were warm, soothing. But Holly's determination was strong, her will to live just as strong.

_Holly, if you refuse this, the Fowl child will die._

Holly's concentration broke.

_Only you can save him now._

"I… can still s-s-save Artemis? H-how?"

_Trust me._

Holly's eyes stared down at the still form before her, covered in green light. She could still see his face through the translucent cover. He looked so peaceful, so calm. And what had been her original purpose for coming here? It had been for the sole purpose of saving Artemis. So why was she so determined not to help now? Slowly, Holly ceased all resistance. In an instant, the sparks had covered her entire lower body. As the sparks worked their way around her back, she noticed a shimmer out of the corner of her eye. To any normal person, it was a mere heat wave. But to Captain Holly Short, it was most certainly a cloaked LEP shuttle.

She even noticed half a dozen shimmering figures rapidly approaching her location. "Captain Short!" She knew that voice. "Holly, what are you doing?!" Commander Trouble Kelp unshielded as he reached Holly. Holly now felt incredibly confident as the sparks finished covering her back. "I'm saving Artemis," she stated as if it was the most natural thing on the face of the planet. "What? How? St-stop! Cease… whatever it is you're doing immediately! That's an order!" Trouble had no idea what was going on, but he was not about to lose his best captain just because some human had died.

"But if I stop, Artemis will die."

"He is already dead!"

"I can save him."

"Holly, Fowl is dead!"

Holly merely smiled as the sparks moved past her mouth, then nose, then eyes. "Oh no you don't!" Trouble shouted. The LEP commander quickly shot a hand out and grabbed the coated collar of Holly's uniform. As his hand made contact with the magical shield, a small spark crackled through the air. "What the-?" was all Trouble Kelp managed to say before the barrier launched him bodily into the five other LEP members who had been standing right behind him. The commander managed to right himself just as the sparks were encompassing Holly's forehead.

"Holly! Why are you doing this?!" Trouble yelled as loud as he could.

The fairy captain looked down at the body of Artemis Fowl, then back to her commander. "Because I love him," she said with a smile. With that, the sparks covered the last bit of Holly's head, her eyes turned a solid emerald green, and she went quiet.


	8. Chapter 8: My Mind's Eye

Author's Note: Hello friends! Well, it is with great joy and saddness when I say we are reaching the end of our story. Only one more chapter after this! I know it is not as long as I had originally hoped, but I believe it will be a good ending. I also apologize for the week long wait on the chapter update. I know I said I would update sooner, but I ran into some writer blocks. What you gonna do? Anyways, here is Chapter 8 of _Dying Makes You Think_. Please enjoy and hopefully we will see the conclusive chapter by next Friday!

Yours Truly,

The BWR

PS- If any details in the story are hazy or confusing, please let me know in your review!

--

My Mind's Eye

Holly blinked several times. Only a moment before, she had been kneeling in a pool of blood with her commander yelling at her... surrounded by beautiful green light. Now it was pitch black. She couldn't see a thing: no rocks, no LEP, no green light, and no Artemis. Holly was not entirely sure why, but this darkness frightened her. She had not been scared of the dark since she was just a little fairy, but this darkness was different. It was unnaturally cold, unnaturally empty. There was nothing here. She was alone.

"H-hello?" Holly called out nervously. The sound of her voice seemed to echo around the empty space. "Is…is anyone there?" Still no response. Holly could not feel anything around her. It was as if she was merely floating in space. "I have no idea where I am or what I should be doing," she thought to herself. She cast her gaze downward only to be greeted by more darkness. Then she found herself thinking of Artemis and the green light. If it had been some sort of teleportation spell, he would be here now. But it was useless to search. She could not see anything. "I wish Artemis was here," Holly murmured almost self-consciously, "if he was here, he would know what to do…"

"_Do not worry, my child. You are not alone."_

That voice again. "It's you," Holly exclaimed, somewhat surprised. "Where are you? Why can I not see anything?"

"_You are in a different realm, in a different time, at a different place."_

"Great," Holly thought to herself, "Just what I need: riddles."

"_They are not riddles, merely answers to questions which cannot be asked."_

"You're not making much sense… and stop reading my mind!"

"_I am sorry,"_ the voice sighed, _"I'm afraid I'm not very good with the whole omnipotence thing."_

"Well, that's all well and good, but what am I doing here? Where is Artemis? He should be here too, right?"

"_He is here, but elsewhere."_

"Can't you just tell me?"

"_Honestly Holly, I thought you were smarter than that. You were always such a clever fairy."_

Holly blushed. The voice was chastising, yet still incredibly warm… loving almost.

"_But don't worry,"_ the voice spoke again, _"I do plan on helping you."_

Holly was relieved. Not only was the voice friendly, but it seemed to have known her before. It had made a reference to her when she was younger. The voice had also acknowledged that Artemis was indeed here… somewhere. All of these reasons really gave Holly more to be suspicious about, but if this mysterious being was planning to help her, she would trust it… for now.

"_Now Holly, I need you to concentrate. Clear your mind of all unnecessary thoughts. Focus on what you want. What is the one thing you desire?"_

Holly focused. It was not very hard to picture what she wanted. It was Artemis.

"_Deeper. Think deeper,"_ the voice coaxed.

Holly pictured Artemis seated in his study monitoring various acts on the multiple screens. His suit was sharp and tailored, his hair combed backwards neatly. There was no mayhem, no battles being waged in the background, and no blood. He was not working on anything in particular, just reading through some files, making a few edits here and there. He was happy, and very much alive.

"_That is good. Now with luck and no interruptions, you should be able to-"_

A high-pitched scream suddenly drowned out the voice and shattered Holly's concentration as easily as glass. The noise was shrill and loud, and utterly terrifying. It felt as if all the warmth was sucked from Holly's body. The image she had been trying to maintain of Artemis disappeared. Then Holly felt blinding pain, more intense than anything she had ever felt before. She wanted to scream. She wanted to find some way to lessen the pain, but there was no way to stop it.

"_Holly! Focus! You have to focus!"_

But how could Holly focus with that screaming or the pain. It felt as if her skin was being torn from her body; as if each of her bones were being broken, reset, and then broken again… as if she was being forced to watch Artemis die all over again.

Then, a deep voice rumbled in her ear, "**Why would you want to love a human, anyway, hm?**"The voice was dark, and could only be described as evil incarnate. It wormed its way through Holly's mind, racking her invisible body with even more pain. "**Why should the life of a human matter more than your own? If you go through with this, you will die Holly Short!**"

Holly could not see them, but she could feel the hot tears running down her face. She ground her teeth and tried to focus, but the pain; there was so much pain. She wanted to save Artemis, but she did not want to die. And how was she to know what the second voice spoke was true or not? She was not even fully aware of what was going on.

"_Don't listen to it, Holly!" _The good voice was back. _"You must conquer this fear! If you wish to save Artemis, you must persevere!"_

That was right. She wanted to save Artemis. Maybe if that happened, the pain would go away. The dark voice, as if reading her mind, spoke again, "**The pain will never go away, Holly. As long as you continue this pointless journey, you will feel pain! As long as you persevere, you will suffer!**"

Holly's body was again struck by another wave of intense agony. How could anyone ever live through this? "**It's alright to want it to stop,**" the voice hissed again, "**If you give up now, you will never hurt again.**" The voice circled Holly's body, temporarily relieving the pain. It felt so nice not to hurt. "**You can have this,**" the dark voice cooed, "**or THIS!**" Holly screamed as the pain returned in full force. She wanted the pain to stop. She wanted it to _end_. Holly screwed her eyes shut.

"_Holly, don't give in! Those promises are nothing. They are all false! You do not want that. You want to see Artemis again! You want to live!"_

"But it hurts so much!" Holly cried like a wounded child.

"**Why would you even want to live with a human? They are deceptive creatures. Look at how much Artemis hurt you before. He will do it again; it is their nature. No happiness will come from it.**"

"_You know humans can be good Holly. You know what else they are capable of."_

"**Like death and ruin!**"

"_Like love and compassion!"_

Holly wanted it all to stop. She just wanted to go back, to be with her friends… and Artemis. "This pain… it's unbearable!" Holly screamed.

"_Artemis went through that same pain…"_

Holly's eyes shot open. Before her, bathed in light, stood a glowing white figure. It was small, roughly the size of a child… or an adult elf. The voice seemed to be coming from the glowing specter. "Artemis… suffered like this too… With how severe his wounds were, he could have given up long before I arrived… ended his pain, but he waited… for me…"

"_Because he loves you, and you love him, don't you?"_

"Y-yes."

The figure drifted closer to her. As it did, the darkness around her seemed to vanish. The dark voice still yelled in Holly's ear, still attempting to shatter her concentration, "**You will never be happy! You are too different! You will never be accepted! What is this... this determination!? Why do you try so hard!?**"

But Holly could not care less for what the dark voice was screaming. She was focused on the face of the specter in front of her. It was her mother, as clean and pure as the day she was recycled.

"_This is your mind Holly, your world. You don't need to worry about your doubts and fears anymore. They cannot harm you."_

"M-mom?" Holly spoke weakly. None of this was making much sense to her. She reached out a hand to touch the face of the specter. Then she stared at her own hand. She could see her body again! Then her eyes darted back towards the figure bearing the face of her mother. "What are you… doing here? What is all this?"

"_I'm sorry Holly, but there is no time. If you wish to save Artemis as well as yourself, you must go now!"_

"But I… there is so much I want to say."

"_I love you. That is all there is to say. Now hurry."_ The specter pointed to a spot ahead of Holly. It was glowing. _"Head towards the light. I will take care of the rest."_ And with that, the specter planted a soft kiss on Holly's forehead and moved behind her daughter, creating a barrier between Holly and whatever evil had been tormenting her. All she could hear were the howls of anguish from the dark voice as she left it behind.

Holly moved towards the glowing spot some 10 meters in front of her. As she drew closer, the glowing light began taking on shape. At five meters away, it looked like a human. At three meters, Holly already knew what it was. Before her lay Artemis Fowl, dressed in pure white, his hair neatly combed back. Holly did not know exactly what to do next, but something seemed to be guiding her. She could only guess what it was. Holly gingerly put a hand on his chest and felt a bit of her energy drift into the teen's still form. Then she pushed more energy into his body, then more, and then more. After a few moments, Holly could barely move. She felt so very tired, but she could not stop. Slowly, she laid her head upon Artemis' chest. "Just… a little more," she breathed heavily. Holly could feel the last of her strength slip into the form she rested upon, but that did not matter. All she had to do was save Artemis, and she would be happy. Then, she felt a soft hand come to rest on her back as the body beneath her shifted to a seated position.

"Thank you, Holly."

Holly turned to look up into Artemis' warm face. She let out a small laugh, now tears of joy running down her face. He wrapped his arms around her, bathing her in warmth. Holly rested for a moment in his arms, content with the wonderful feelings she felt before raising her eyes to meet his. Slowly, she lifted a hand and pointed at the teen's hazel eye. "My mind's eye," Holly gestured at the hazel eye. Artemis chuckled as he took her small hand in his. "Very clever; now rest." And with that, Holly Short closed her mind's eye and slipped into a warm and comfortable sleep.


End file.
